Contract and interim work
A twelve month contract needs a twelve month car, not a three year one. Match the vehicle to the assignment and stop paying when it ends.
Short-term leasing
Short-term car leasing on fixed 3 to 24 month contracts
When you already know how long you need the car, a fixed short-term lease is the cheapest way to have it. Maintenance, road tax, warranty and breakdown cover are included; you add insurance and fuel.
In short
A short-term car lease is a fixed contract hire agreement of roughly 3 to 24 months. You pay an initial payment of one to three monthly rentals, then a fixed monthly amount, and hand the car back on the agreed date. Road fund licence, manufacturer warranty and breakdown assistance are included. Maintenance is not included as standard, though it is optional on the majority of agreements. Insurance and fuel are yours. Of the four short-term options this has the lowest monthly cost, because you are committing to a date.
Typical cases
Who takes a short-term lease
Nearly everyone who leases short-term is solving a defined, time-bound problem. These are the ones we see most.
Waiting on a factory order
Ordered a new car with a six month lead time? A short lease bridges the gap without a rental bill that dwarfs the car you are waiting for.
Relocation and secondment
Moving to the UK for a defined period, or moving within it. A short lease avoids buying and selling a car inside a year.
Growing businesses
You need a vehicle now but cannot forecast headcount three years out. Short terms let the fleet track the business rather than the other way round.
Testing electric
Twelve months in an EV tells you what your real-world range, charging habits and running costs actually look like.
Between cars
Sold privately, waiting on a sale, or dealing with a write-off. A short lease covers the gap without a compromise vehicle.
Contract lengths
Choose your term
The longer the term, the lower the monthly figure — because depreciation spreads across more payments. Here is roughly how that plays out.
| Term | Monthly cost | Initial payment | Typically suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 months | Higher | Usually 1–2 rentals | Contracts, relocations, bridging a factory order |
| 9 months | Middle | Usually 2 rentals | Academic years, longer projects, seasonal roles |
| 12 months | Lower | Usually 1–3 rentals | The best value in short-term leasing |
| 18–24 months | Lowest | Usually 3 rentals | Approaching conventional leasing rates |
The monthly price
What's included
Maintenance is not standard on a fixed short-term lease, but it is optional on most agreements — your quotation states which.
Included in your monthly payment
- Vehicle rental for the full agreement term
- Road fund licence (road tax) for the duration
- Manufacturer warranty cover
- Breakdown assistance
- Nationwide delivery and end-of-term collection
Not included as standard
- Servicing and maintenance — not standard, but optional on most agreements
- Fully comprehensive insurance (you arrange this)
- Fuel or electricity
- Congestion, clean air and ULEZ charges
- Accidental damage, and wear beyond our return standards
- Excess mileage above your contracted allowance
Available now
Live short-term lease offers
Short-term car leases available now
Decide
Short-term lease or subscription?
The test is simple, and it is not about money.
Take the fixed lease if you can name the month you will hand the car back and you would bet on it. You will pay less every month for that certainty.
Take a subscription or flexible lease if there is a realistic chance the date moves. The premium you pay for flexibility is almost always smaller than an early termination settlement.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Any fixed contract hire agreement of roughly 3 to 24 months. Conventional leasing starts at 24 months and typically runs to 48. The short-term market exists to fill the gap between daily rental, which is expensive beyond a few weeks, and long leasing, which is a multi-year commitment.
It depends entirely on the vehicle, the term and the mileage. As a guide, our fleet currently starts around £399 a month plus VAT for a small hybrid hatchback on six months, rising through the £500s and £600s for mainstream SUVs and estates, and higher for premium and performance models. Every quote shows the monthly figure, the initial payment and the excess mileage rate before you commit.
Because a car loses most of its value early, and a short agreement spreads that depreciation over far fewer payments. A 6 month contract covers roughly an eighth as many months as a 48 month one, but the car still depreciates. You are paying for the shape of the commitment, not for a worse deal.
Not without a settlement figure, which is why we ask hard questions about your dates before quoting. If there is any real doubt about how long you need the vehicle, a flexible lease or a subscription is a better structure even though the monthly cost is higher.
Not as standard. Maintenance is optional on the majority of our short-term car leases, and your quotation states clearly whether it has been added. Road fund licence, manufacturer warranty and breakdown assistance are included. Subscriptions and flexible leases are different — maintenance is included on those as standard.
That is what our non-status service exists for — new companies with no trading results, overseas directors, or no UK credit history after living abroad. A credit check is still run, but specialist underwriters assess the application case by case rather than a system declining it automatically. See our non-status leasing page.
Next step
Get a short-term lease quote
Tell us what you need and when you need it. We will come back with real availability and a written quote — usually the same working day.